


Flickering Candles

by xenoshadel



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Birthday Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Subtle Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 16:56:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5634175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenoshadel/pseuds/xenoshadel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would make an ordinary day of surviving through the war a little special for the thief? Perhaps the tactician has a few tricks up her sleeve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flickering Candles

Flicker flicker goes the candle in the soul. Not only can a small flame provide warmth but also the potential to grow and _burn_. The fire burns when there is passion to guide its delicate hands, but if the candle was already blown from the wind? That's when a simple fire spell becomes useful. . .

_Boom! Clang!_

Fire licked at the tattered cloth of the Risen, the eyes of decay matching the burning color but lacking its livelihood. Still the claws were raised towards the thief before it, growling fiercely at him as it prepared its offense on him.

“Yeesh. Even with Bubbles hitting you with a fireball, you're still up and going,” Gaius said, and his eyes twitched in amusement. "Good thing I'm already warmed up.”

With a smug grin and a twirl of the steel sword, the Risen dematerialized into a cloud of smoke similar to those trailing behind the small band of undead in the area. A crack of lightning and the cheers of the Shepherds traveled to his ears and for a moment, Gaius relaxed his stance as he took in his surroundings, popping a lollipop in his mouth. He caught the flash of silver hair from the tactician in the distance and just as he was about to run towards her, a low snarl stopped his tracks.

Gaius quickly turned around and ducked his head just in time to avoid a gangly hand swiping at his head. He jumped back to put enough space between him and the Risen, and his eyebrows lifted in surprise at the sheer size of his opponent. A towering form of graying flesh and sharp angles, and yet the same eyes of hunger and loathing.

“So ol’ boss decided to pay me a visit? How sweet of ya.” Gaius smirked and rolled the lollipop between his teeth. Sword in hand, he watched the captain’s movements and made his advancement when those soulless eyes gave him a slow blink. Perhaps this would be an easy battle after all, and Gaius raised his sword at an angle for a quick slash. The thought was cut short when the Risen snapped out of its momentary trance and surged toward him with a roar.

The thief heard shouts from the Shepherds far from him but he couldn’t process them when he stepped out of the way and deflected the curved nails with his sword. He managed to land a few cuts at the Risen but the small victories only seemed to fuel the undead’s hunger for his heart. He ducked to avoid the barrage of eager claws but even with his speed, the captain had a few surprises of its own when it swiped a strong arm at the thief’s side. The wind was knocked out of Gaius when he struck the ground and rolled from the fierce momentum, ultimately striking a rock with a sharp thud. A loud crunch was heard from him when Gaius bit down on his lollipop in pain and he peaked an eye open at the Risen.

“Normally I’d be fine with an apology when it comes to sour business,” he coughed, shakily standing up and gripping his sword. “But I don’t think you’re one to talk much. So”—he spat out the stick of the lollipop in distaste—“Don’t mind if I go for seconds.”

A roar was his only response, more so over the thief’s obstinacy to continue fighting, and the Risen ran towards him. Another twirl of the stained sword and Gaius took a deep breath to ready himself, despite the throb in his head from his previous attack, and he moved quickly with every block and strike he took.

But how long would that last with the Risen possessing some sort of fire within its decaying body?

“ _Gaius!_ ”

Green eyes widened in relief at the familiar voice of the tactician. Robin sprinted towards him with a heavy tome and sword in hand, small cuts and marks patterned on her arms and clothes. “Are you okay?” she called out when a boom! of lightning momentarily deafened the area.

“Just peachy, Bubbles. You made it in the nick of time,” Gaius grunted, fatigue sweeping its way over him when he felt his side ache. A bloodied claw nearly made its target on his throat when he leaned away and hopped back to stand next to Robin. “I guess you wanted to take your sweet time with the fire on the boss over here?”

Robin grimaced when she side-stepped from the Risen’s attack. “I didn’t want to burn you alive when you were close to it nor could I leave Lissa’s side when another wave of Risen showed up out of nowhere.” _Clang!_ went her sword when she blocked the set of gnarled claws, gritting her teeth as Gaius pursued with his offense.

“I appreciate the thought, Bubbles. Wouldn’t want to scar this handsome mug, now would you?” Despite the dire time of life and death, Gaius still had his jests with the devious crinkle in his eyes.

Robin only sighed in amusement when she stepped back to flip through her Arcfire tome while Gaius distracted the Risen. A thin finger jabbed at a particular spot on a page the tactician opened to and she summoned a growing orb of fire. Timing his movements carefully, Gaius rolled out of the way right before Robin’s shout guided the spell towards its target, winning a piercing cry from the Risen.

Flicker flicker went the flames and with the right thrust of the steel sword, the Risen broke apart into particles that floated away with the smoke. Placing his hands on his knees, Gaius caught his breath and glanced up to inspect the area. He found the gleam of Falchion and the rest of the Shepherds shouting in victory, sighing that the battle had finally ended.

Robin looked at the thief in concern. “Are you hurt, Gaius?”

Straightening up, he touched his face and pretended to look thoughtful. “Well you didn’t scar me so I must be fine.” A soft poke was felt at his side when Robin elbowed him, shaking her head in humor.

“That can change in a heartbeat, you know,” she quipped, and in spite of herself she grinned at him. “Let’s head back to camp then.”

Soot littered the ground where the Shepherds walked but even with the torn armor and dirty bandages, a merry cheer was shared amongst everyone. Those with the most severe wounds were promptly ordered to the healer’s tent while the rest headed towards mess tent to boast their supposed heroic feats. Meanwhile Gaius avoided enough attention to slink away to his own tent, his sword and cape discarded as his eyes gleamed at the sight of his bag of sweets. Careful fingers rummaged for a sweet that would catch his eye, if not just dull the arousing throb in his side. Gaius winced when he bent to search through the bottom of the bag and he heard the sound of footsteps by his tent, halting his movements.

He glanced back to see the worried look on Robin’s face. “Now that’s not the face of someone with victory in her hands,” he said, casually walking towards her.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe if I made it sooner to you—” Robin began before her words were paused from the thief’s indifferent wave.

“Hey, it's only another day of surviving, Bubbles, and I did make it so”—he poked her forehead—“That alone should wipe those lines off your forehead. You wouldn’t want to age any quicker, hm?” He couldn’t refrain himself from smirking at her playful scowl—it was one way to erase some of her worry away. Though once Robin straightened out her robe, that was when Gaius picked up a slightly burnt smell. He was surprised that he didn’t notice the black marks at the sleeves of her robe and he looked at her with concern.

“Was that from the battle? Did you get—” he paused when his inspecting eyes caught a smudge of white by her hood.

. . . _White?_

Puzzlement replaced most of the unease in Gaius when he tilted his head at Robin. The tactician sighed lightly as if she was caught from trying to hide a secret. “I guess there’s no point in hiding it for this long,” she said, and she stepped back to exit the tent. “Just a moment!”

What little scheme ran in her head this time? Gaius recalled on stealing her desserts for three days in a row, and if having a special spell crafted for him as punishment was her answer then may Naga spare him some mercy. But when Robin reentered his tent with a plate of cake in her hands, his eyes widened in bafflement at the unexpected gesture.

The cake was lopsided with burnt corners and smudged frosting, and Robin sheepishly smiled at him. “I’m no baker like you, but seeing how exhausted everyone was from the battle and with it being your birthday, I had to do something for you. So, er, I tried.”

Had to, eh? Even though the sight of the cake was one Gaius would feign death over, the fact that the tactician standing before him took the time to make something let alone acknowledge his birthday, as embarrassing as the creative experience was for her, brought a warm smile to him. He took the crooked cake from her to place it on his table, green eyes twinkling in amusement and another hidden feeling when he turned to face her.

“I didn't think that anyone would bother to give a damn about me on a day I’d usually ignore, not like this. But hey—” He leaned down to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Thanks, Robin.”

A shade of pink swept over her face and Robin nearly tripped over her words. “Of course I would care, and you’re welcome, Gaius. Sorry about the cake not meeting your standards though.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over having a brilliant mind for tactics but a poor hand in baking,” Gaius chuckled. He turned back to look through his bag of sweets and the perfect confection was right at his fingertips. “After all, I always come prepared.”

A box of cream-filled pastries met Robin’s eyes and she lightly laughed from his enthusiasm. At least her efforts weren’t put entirely to waste, and she settled on the ground next to Gaius when he plopped down and winked at her. “How could I ever forget about your preparations, but I’m glad I could still spend this moment with you.”

A pastry was already chowed down by the thief and he watched as Robin chewed on the dessert. If anything, he was honored to have her by his side with delicate pastries he was willing to share. Well, willing as in she might be the _only_ person he would share his beloved sweets with. He didn’t mull over why that was the case, as much as he secretly could have, and he sighed slightly. “I thought I was burnt out from these sort of things. Normally I would care less about my birthday, but you know what?” He brushed the crumbs off Robin’s face and grinned at her. “This might be the best one yet.”

Crumbs and now a bit of the cream dripped on her already-messy robe, but Robin paid no mind to it when she returned his smile. “I’m glad I could help with that. Happy birthday, Gaius.”

An ignited fire can be difficult to diffuse, especially when two candles were flickered to life. Flicker flicker will those little flames continue to grow as the bag of sweets slowly emptied throughout the night.

**Author's Note:**

> Even though this is late I still had to do something for my dear husband. Happy birthday to the sweetest thief! <3 as always, thanks for the read and you can also find this on my Tumblr [@xenoshadel](http://xenoshadel.tumblr.com/)! . I also have a [ko-fi page](http://ko-fi.com/A35327K1/) if anyone ever wants to leave me a tip!


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